Page 14 - Tiktok

Google, Meta, & TikTok win court fight against Austrian online content rule

European Union recently adopted new rules called the Digital Services Act (DSA) which require large online platforms to do more to tackle illegal and harmful online content

Israel-Hamas war: EU demands Meta, TikTok to curb illegal content

The European Union (EU) ratcheted up its scrutiny of Big Tech companies on Thursday with demands for Meta and TikTok to detail their efforts to curb illegal content and disinformation during the Israel-Hamas war. The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's executive branch, formally requested that the social media companies provide information on how they're complying with sweeping new digital rules aimed at cleaning up online platforms. The commission asked Meta and TikTok to explain the measures they have taken to reduce the risk of spreading and amplifying terrorist and violent content, hate speech and disinformation. Under the EU's new rules, which took effect in August, the biggest tech companies face extra obligations to stop a wide range of illegal content from flourishing on their platforms or face the threat of hefty fines. The new rules, known as the Digital Services Act, are being put to the test by the Israel-Hamas war. Photos and videos have flooded social media of t

Addictive, lures kids to destructive social media habits: Utah sues TikTok

Utah became the latest US state Tuesday to file a lawsuit against TikTok, alleging the company is baiting children into addictive and unhealthy social media habits. TikTok lures children into hours of social media use, misrepresents the app's safety and deceptively portrays itself as independent of its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, Utah claims in the lawsuit. We will not stand by while these companies fail to take adequate, meaningful action to protect our children. We will prevail in holding social media companies accountable by any means necessary, Republican Gov Spencer Cox said at a news conference announcing the lawsuit, which was filed in state court in Salt Lake City. Arkansas and Indiana have filed similar lawsuits while the US Supreme Court prepares to decide whether state attempts to regulate social media platforms such as Facebook, X and TikTok violate the Constitution. Public health concerns are cited in the Utah lawsuit. Research has shown that children who spend

TikToks promoting steroid use have millions of views; report criticised

TikTok has become a key marketing channel for vendors promoting steroids and other bodybuilding drugs to millions of the app's users, according to a report released Thursday that the social media company disputes. In the study, the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate says popular videos encouraging use of the products for aesthetic or athletic gain are being posted by influencers who often downplay the risks associated with them. It follows a warning issued by the US Food and Drug Administration in April about performance-enhancing drugs being marketed to teenagers and young adults on social media platforms. They're being marketed to young men by influencers who are deliberately saying, If you want to be like Captain America, you've got to take these drugs', CCDH founder and CEO Imran Ahmed said. The findings from the study show TikTok videos under certain hashtags promoting what researchers called steroid-like drugs have racked up more than 587 million views in the US ..

TikTok ad woos Republicans as candidates criticise China, says report

The ad from TikTok, which has 1.7 billion users, appeared several times throughout the debate

Regret Indonesia's decision to ban e-commerce sales on social media: TikTok

Chinese-owned app TikTok on Thursday said it regretted the Indonesian government's decision to ban e-commerce transactions on social media platforms, particularly the impact it would have on the millions of sellers who use TikTok Shop. But TikTok Indonesia said in a statement they will respect the regulations and laws that apply in Indonesia and will take a constructive path forward. We deeply regret the government's announcement, especially how it will impact the livelihoods of the six million sellers and nearly seven million affiliate creators who use TikTok Shop, said the statement sent to The Associated Press on Thursday. Indonesia banned goods transactions on social media platforms such as TikTok in a bid to protect small businesses from e-commerce competition, accusing them of predatory pricing. Indonesia's Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan on Monday announced the decision after a meeting with President Joko Widodo. The ban is to prevent the domination of the algorithm and preven

Major blow to TikTok, Indonesia bans e-commerce sales on social media

The move comes just three months after TikTok pledged to invest billion of dollars in Southeast Asia, mainly in Indonesia, over next few years in major push to build e-commerce platform TikTok Shop

TikTok is hit with $368 mn fine under Europe's data privacy rules

European regulators slapped TikTok with a USD 368 million fine on Friday for failing to protect children's privacy, the first time that the popular short video-sharing app has been punished for breaching Europe's strict data privacy rules. Ireland's Data Protection Commission, the lead privacy regulator for Big Tech companies whose European headquarters are largely in Dublin, said it was fining TikTok 345 million euros and reprimanding the platform for the violations dating to the second half of 2020. The investigation found that the sign-up process for teen users resulted in settings that made their accounts public by default, allowing anyone to view and comment on their videos. Those default settings also posed a risk to children under 13 who gained access to the platform even though they're not allowed. Also, a family pairing" feature designed for parents to manage settings wasn't strict enough, allowing adults to turn on direct messaging for users aged 16 and 17 without their ..

Jungkook unveils new look in TikTik dance challenge, know more about him

Jungkook revealed his new look in a viral TikTok video, fans looked surprised and reminisced about his previous hairstyle. Know more about BTS member Jungkook and his solo debut

NYC bans use of TikTok on city-owned phones, joining federal govt

New York City has directed its employees to delete TikTok from their city-issued phones, joining the federal government and more than half of US states in banning the use of the Chinese-owned social media app on government-owned devices. While social media is great at connecting New Yorkers with one another and the city, we have to ensure we are always using these platforms in a secure manner," Jonah Allon, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams, said in a statement Thursday. Allon said the city's top information security officials determined that TikTok posed a security threat to the city's technical networks and directed the app's removal from city-owned devices within 30 days. The federal government ordered employees to delete TikTok from government-issued cellphones earlier this year amid concerns that its parent company, ByteDance, could give user data to the Chinese government. More than half of U.S. states have enacted similar bans. New York state has prohibited the use of TikT

New York bans TikTok on government devices citing 'security concerns'

New York City on Wednesday banned TikTok on government-owned devices citing 'security concerns' thus joining the list of more than two dozen states that have restricted access to the short video app

China man kept 7 cows in apartment, asked to remove animals by neighbours

The animals were present in the flat only for a day before neighbours annoyed by their mooing and smell apprised officials

TikTok expands its e-commerce presence to compete with Shein and Amazon

TikTok expands its e-commerce business with its new shopping feature called Trendy Beat. The feature is currently in testing mode in the UK.

Homegrown TikTok Alternative Chingari announces 20% cuts in workforce

20 per cent of employees at Chingari short video app will be affected by new layoffs. The move is expected to start an "organisational rebuilding for improved effectiveness"

TikTok plans to fuel e-commerce business with billions in investment

TikTok is planning to pour billions of dollars in Southeast Asia over the next few years, aiming to drive growth in one of its biggest markets amid heightened scrutiny in the US. The company's CEO, Shou Zi Chew, made the announcement on Thursday during a speech at a TikTok forum in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. The investment comes as the app's e-commerce marketplace, TikTok Shop, is experiencing some growth following its expansion to more countries in the region last year. But its still trailing more established power players, like online shopping sites Shopee and Lazada. The popular video-sharing app, though, is attempting to harness the power of its user base. Chew said on Thursday that the app generates more than 325 million visitors in Southeast Asia each month. And the research group Insider Intelligence expects its user base in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines to increase by more than 10 per cent this year. TikTok did not provide a detailed break

TikTok CEO asked to explain statements about how company manages US data

Two U.S. senators are asking TikTok to explain what they called misleading or inaccurate responses about how it stores and provides access to U.S. user data after recent news reports raised questions about how the Chinese-owned social media platform handles some sensitive information. In a letter sent Tuesday to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn cited a report from Forbes that said TikTok had stored financial information of U.S. content creators who get paid by the company including their Social Security numbers and tax IDs - on China-based servers. The senators also cited another report from The New York Times, published in late May, that said TikTok employees regularly shared user information, such as driver's licenses information of some American users, on an internal messaging app called Lark that employees from TikTok's Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, could easily access. Forbes first reported Wednesday on the letter. TikTok

Meta sells Giphy to Shutterstock to comply with UK regulator order

The company said Giphy would add minimal revenue this year and it would launch efforts to increase revenue from 2024

TikTok files suit to stop 'unconstitutional' ban in US State of Montana

Social media company TikTok Inc filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to overturn Montana's first-in-the-nation ban on the video sharing app, arguing the law is an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights and is based on unfounded speculation that the Chinese government could access users' data. The lawsuit by TikTok, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, follows one filed last week by five content creators. They made similar arguments including that the state of Montana has no authority to take action on matters of national security. Both lawsuits were filed in federal court in Missoula. Republican Gov Greg Gianforte signed the bill Wednesday and the content creators' lawsuit was filed hours later. The law is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, but cybersecurity experts say it could be difficult to enforce. TikTok says it has not shared and would not share US user data with the Chinese government and has taken measures to protect the privacy and security of its users, including

Montana becomes first US state to ban TikTok, to face legal challenges

Under the legislation, TikTok and app stores, like those operated by Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google, could face fines of as much as $10,000 for violations

Musk marks TikTok as 'extremely destructive' after finding ill effects

Billionaire Elon Musk has expressed his concern over the ill effects of the social media platform 'TikTok' on certain age groups